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El Clasico is without doubt the most watched club football encounter in the world. One of the most intense rivalries in modern football, the Clasico is viewed by more than 400 million viewers across six continents each year!Former Real Madrid manager aptly summed up the high voltage clash in his own inimitable style- “When Real play Barcelona, the world stops!”Real Madrid taking on Barcelona is the pinnacle of club football rivalries. It is of huge importance for the clubs and the Spanish League as a whole as they often have a huge say on who eventually ends up winning the La Liga crown. Also, the match witnesses some of the best players in the world take centre stage which is a mouth-watering prospect for any football fan.However, this season’s first Clasico, which is scheduled to take place at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, has been hit with an injury crisis of sorts. Both Rafael Benitez and Luiz Enrique will be sweating over the fitness of a considerable number of key players who might not be ready in time to make the tie.We take a look at the stars who are in danger of missing out on the mega event this weekend.
#1 Lionel Messi
Argentine sensation Lionel Messi injured himself in a Liga tie against minnows Las Palmas in September and has been on the sidelines since. The little magician had earlier remarked that he would not rush himself back into action and would wait patiently to recover fully.
Though it looked like there was no chance for him to feature in the Clasico, Messi was seen training with the Barca B team over the last weekend.
And with the club posting pictures on the icon training with the first team on Monday, there is belief among the Blaugrana fans that their star player could play some part in the game which could be a huge confidence booster for the Catalans.
#2 Ivan Rakitic
The Croatian midfield tactician injured his calf in the Champions League win over BATE Borisov earlier this month and was initially expected to be out for a month.
Like Messi, Ivan Rakitic was able to come through a training session on Monday and could be in contention for a starting spot in the Spanish capital at the weekend. However, it will be interesting to see if the manager would be willing to risk playing him on Saturday.
#3 Sergio Ramos
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has been carrying a shoulder injury ever since he took a knock in the Champions League group stage encounter against Shakhtar Donetsk early in the season.
Painkiller injections have helped him through games with Paris Saint-Germain and Celta Vigo, among others, but he aggravated his injury as he fell awkwardly while scoring a spectacular acrobatic goal against Sevilla.
Ramos has announced plans of going under the knife after El Clasico, but it is yet to be seen if Rafa Benitez decides to use Ramos ahead of Raphael Varane or Pepe this weekend.
#4 Marcelo
Marcelo picked up a hamstring injury in the high-profile Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month. As a result, he missed the 3-2 defeat to Sevilla earlier in the month.
Marcelo also had to sit out of Brazil’s FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifiers against arch-rivals Argentina and he is also going to miss the game against Peru.
However, the fullback returned to training on Monday and Benitez will hope he will be ready by Saturday.
#5 Keylor Navas
Keylor Navas has been Real Madrid’s best performer this season and unfortunately, happens to be the player most likely to miss out this weekend.
The goalkeeper did not appear for the Costa Rica side in the weekend and also missed the tie against Sevilla due to a muscle injury in his right leg.
With Kiko Casilla producing an unassured performance in the defeat to Sevilla, the absence of Navas might prove to be the biggest headache for Benitez.
#6 Sergio Busquets
The Blaugrana midfield enforcer picked up a minor thigh injury in Spain’s win over England in a friendly in Alicante. Busquets was supposed to miss Spain’s next friendly against the Belgians, but the match was suspended due to security concerns following the gruesome attacks on Paris.
The injury to Busquets set alarm bells ringing in the Barca camp as he has been one of their key players for a while now. Even though he is expected to return to training this week, it is yet to be seen if he will feature on Saturday.
#7 Karim Benzema
French star striker Karim Benzema has been out of action for over a month now after he suffered a hamstring injury in his country’s friendly against Armenia in September.
The striker made a great start to the season and was in prime form before the injury setback. Also, he has scored in each of Real Madrid’s last four home games against Barcelona. So his absence will be a blow for Benitez.
Although, there were reports that the striker was fit to face Sevilla before the international break but he strangely did not feature in the game. However, Rafa Benitez claimed that the striker wasn’t quite ready yet and his exclusion had nothing to do with the alleged blackmail scandal the striker was embroiled in.
#8 Isco
Attacking midfielder Isco missed Spain’s win over England last Friday due to a muscle strain but was able to train with Benitez’s squad on Monday. Even if he does prove his fitness he may well have to make do with a place on the bench with the return of James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale and the probable availability of Karim Benzema.
#9 Rafinha
Youngster Rafinha is another casualty in the Barcelona camp. However, Rafinha’s availability is ruled out for sure since he suffered a ligament damage in the Champions League against Italian side AS Roma.
The attacking midfielder is expected to miss the majority of this season adding to the midfield woes of Luiz Enrique.
#10 Marc-Andre ter-Stegen
The German shot-stopper, who played in the Champions League final against Juventus last season, was out of action to undergo a dental surgery. He is sure to miss training for the rest of this week but is understood to be available for the weekend’s showdown with Real Madrid.
The 23-year-old was also not involved in the Germany squad for friendlies against France and Holland and was unable to train with his Barca team-mates who are not away with their national teams.
However, Claudio Bravo is expected to start in between the sticks ahead of the German.
